Thank you for visiting my page. My name is Shawna,

and I’d like to introduce myself.

   I’ve had a quiet fascination with cemeteries for as long as

I can remember. There is a peaceful reverence in these spaces — rows of names and dates waiting to be seen, remembered, and reconnected with the living. Long before I understood genealogy as a discipline, I understood cemeteries as places of story, reflection, and responsibility.

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   My passion for genealogy has a more vivid beginning.

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   When I was about sixteen, a package arrived from my paternal grandmother. Inside was a copy of her Mayflower Society certificate, documenting our family line back to Stephen Hopkins and his daughter Constance. Alongside it was a hand-drawn family tree tracing my mother’s line back three generations — a part of my heritage I had never known. That moment sparked a journey that has now spanned more than twenty-five years.

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   Since then, I have uncovered long-forgotten branches of my own family, expanded on research begun generations before me, and grown into a seasoned genealogical researcher with a deep respect for the stories behind the records.  I am currently pursuing professional certification through the Board for Certification of Genealogists as I continue to refine my skills and uphold the highest standards of genealogical practice.

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   Alongside research, my work has expanded into volunteer cemetery preservation. I actively engage in ethical gravestone cleaning, documentation, and advocacy, recognizing that headstones are historical records in their own right — shaped by time, environment, and care. Preservation is not simply about restoring stone, but about responsibility, restraint, and ensuring these markers endure for future generations.

 

   Through Roots & Resting Places, I help others discover their families through thoughtful genealogical research, respectful cemetery work, and the preservation of local history shared through education and storytelling. Whether uncovering ancestral connections or tending to the places where those stories rest, I believe every legacy deserves to be seen, understood, and honored.

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Let me help bring yours into the light.

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